#( of councils and books

[winwin17]

At the Council of Elrond, Frodo takes note of all the people he's never seen before. Among them is Legolas, who's described as "a strange Elf clad in green and brown".

[allbycharles]

Nothing is as hilarious in the lotr books as Frodo casually telling Elrond he is seriously old.

Like...Frodo....you are sitting there with people from Gondolin (minimally one) ...highly probably with some elf from before Age of Trees too (I am sure there are some of Finwe's friends).......AND A FCKING MAIYA.

And you tell Elrond he is old.

Omg Frodo

[trans-xianxian]

also I have been reading lotr while camping and I now understand why my dad would only read me a chapter at a time girl they are all like 40 pages long 😭

[glorfindel-of-imladris]

I've mentioned this in passing in this post, but this is hands down my favourite line in The Fellowship of the Ring. The line speaks volumes about Glorfindel, and yet the details are easily missed by a first-time reader travelling along with Frodo and friends, and that's because not once does Glorfindel explain how significant his words and actions were. Yet there is so much to unpack! It is only left to us to appreciate them after learning more about this world.

“There are few even in Rivendell that can ride openly against the Nine…”

Again, Glorfindel only mentioned this in passing and did not explain, but the reason for this is because the only ones Rivendell would send to ride openly against the Nazgûl were special members of the Eldar: the Calaquendi, old Elves from Valinor and who have seen the light of the Two Trees. Gandalf later explains that these Elves “live at once in both worlds, and against both the Seen and Unseen they have great power”. The Nazgûl, as we learn, were wraiths that reside only in the Unseen world, and so to anyone else, they were invisible.

We know there were very few Calaquendi remaining in Middle-earth by the Third Age, and most of them reside in Rivendell. But even among them, likely only the warriors could be sent to go after the Nagzûl, chief of Sauron's servants. This early, we get a clue that Frodo and company have met someone extraordinary.

“It was my lot to take the Road…”

By “Road”, Glorfindel meant The Great East-West Road, an ancient road that cuts across Eriador from the Grey Havens to Rivendell and the Misty Mountains. This would have been the most perilous of the roads because it would have been the most obvious path passing through the Shire. Later, during the Council of Elrond, it would be mentioned that Sauron would be expecting the Ring to go from the Shire either to the Grey Havens or to Rivendell, both routes reached primarily via the Road.

It was to be expected therefore that this is the one path most guarded by the Enemy. Again, Glorfindel only mentions his task securing the Road in passing, but the fact that he got the most obvious and thus most perilous path speaks volumes of his ability and position in Rivendell. Only a few deemed able to ride openly against the Nine were sent out, and out of them, Glorfindel was the one sent to secure the most dangerous route. What ability and skill must this Elf have to be entrusted with such a task!

"I came to the Bridge of Mitheithel, and left a token there, nigh on seven days ago."

The Bridge of Mitheitel, or The Last Bridge, is the only way to cross the great River Hoarwell (Mitheitel) from Weathertop to Rivendell. Aragorn, as much as he could, avoided the Road, himself knowing the dangers possibly waiting for them there. Later though he tells the Hobbits, "I am afraid we must go back to the Road here for a while, [for we] have now come to the River Hoarwell... There is no way over it below its sources in the Ettenmoors, except by the Last Bridge on which the Road crosses."

Aragorn and the Hobbits therefore went to the Bridge dreading to encounter the Nazgûl, only to find it safe. Instead, Aragorn finds an elf-stone in the middle of the bridge, which gives him hope. We now learn that it was Glorfindel who left it there, for he has secured the Bridge, likely knowing how important it was to do so because unlike all other paths, this was the one path that Frodo and company would inevitably need to take. If the Enemy wanted to lay an ambush, they would have done so at the Bridge; strategically Glorfindel understood this, and coming after them at the Bridge was exactly what the company needed from him for them to stay safe.

“Three of the servants of Sauron were upon the Bridge, but they withdrew and I pursued them westward. I came also upon two others, but they turned away southward.”

Here once again is Glorfindel describing something incredible in the simplest of ways: the Nazgûl actually flee from him! Thus far in the book, the Nazgûl were the first source of terror for Frodo's company as well as for us, the readers, yet here Glorfindel was riding about with bells on his horse, not even trying to hide at all. He is the one hunting the Nazgûl and not the other way around, this was made very clear.

Glorfindel has been my favourite character from the start. He got me from their first meeting because he gave the Hobbits a sense of safety, even though they and we perhaps do not yet fully appreciate who he was and what he was capable of. As we read through the rest of the books, and even beyond through The Silmarillion, The Fall of Gondolin, The Peoples of Middle-earth and all these other books that share his history, I only learned to love him all the more. Years later, having read all these other books, I still sometimes just sit in awe thinking back on this first encounter in this first book, in the Fellowship of the Ring, about how Frodo and his friends met this seemingly humble Elf, who in actuality was literally an Elf of legend. Yet apparently one would not think it, encountering Glorfindel on the road.

[spxllcxstxr]

Being a Maia Witch and in the Fellowship • Headcanon

(Gif not mine)

Request: Hi, if you're taking requests, can I get headcanons for the Fellowship? The reader is a Maia witch and is sort of a colleague of Gandalf's but he's also a bit of a mentor. Just interested to see how you think everyone would interact with the reader :) thank you so much and I hope you stay safe, happy, and healthy — anon

Warnings: reader is one of the blue wizards, mostly gender neutral though you are called a witch, mix of book and movie canon

A.N: Thank you so much for your kind words! I hope you enjoy these hcs, I really enjoy writing about the fellowship!

•

Since stepping foot on Middle Earth you had always been a wanderer

Of course you had spent time with the other Maiar; though you had your own specialized magic, Gandalf mentored you a lot

You always felt closer to Radagast the Brown; he cared deeply about nature and the living world that you lived in

You had been known to almost vanish for years at a time, exploring some deep cavern or somewhere high in mountains, it was always on a whim

You were elusive--all the races of Middle Earth had their own names and tall tales about you

But as the Age of the Elves starts to dwindle you start to ease down on the amount of adventures you have

Until your dear old friend Gandalf the Grey shows up on your doorstep out of breath with and almost crazed look in his eyes

A hobbit has the One Ring

So much for not traveling

You join the Fellowship at the Council of Elrond--no one opposes having another magical being in their midst

You try to get to know the other members better, it has been some time since you have interacted with people so your communication skills are a little rusty

Gandalf trusts you, of course, he is thrilled you have agreed to join them

He confides in you about the quest and the situation; things he would not tell the others

You two understand each other in a way no one else in the Fellowship can

The two of you, to fill the time, talk about your own travels and the history of Middle Earth

"You have been gone for too long, (Y/n), Middle Earth has suffered in your absence."

"Oh Gandalf, I needed to see everything before it was too late."

Boromir is a little wary of you, in Gondor they believe your presence is a bad omen since you do not show yourself too frequently near Minas Tirith

He warms up to you while travelling to the Mines of Moria because you and Gandalf exerted so much power trying to save them

"You are not the ill portent my father has talked about, witch. Why did you avoid Minas Tirith for so long?"

Aragorn has probably seen glimpses of you throughout his life and because of his travels he has heard many stories about you

Honestly he's very intrigued and asks many questions about what you have seen

He really trusts you almost immediately, you were welcomed in Rivendell, showing that Elrond trusted you

In Lothlorien Galadriel also holds you in high esteem, she's surprised you're in the Fellowship; not because you do not care about the fate of Middle Earth, but because you never tend to stay in one place long

"You must guide me, (Y/n). With Gandalf lost...I cannot proceed without council..."

Legolas is all over you--endless questions about the world and the time that has passed, but in like a subdued manner

He trusts you, though in recent years your reputation has been tarnished by his father, who is of the thought that you and the other wizards should have helped them fight against the spiders. He believes the Greenwood fell to darkness due to the negligence of the wizards

"Do you believe the Greenwood will be cured after we destroy the Ring, (Y/n)? I have missed my home..."

Gimli goes through the motions of meeting a witch only a handful of people have encountered in your lifetime

He's the one that discovered your sense of humor and loves joking with you

You ask him about recent dwarven culture, dwarves are wary of outsiders so it has been a while since you have seen their tools and creations

"Just you wait, lass, what we have created is unlike anything you have ever seen!"

Merry is genuinely delighted that you joined them

He feels a lot safer with two wizards, even if you’re not that experienced with fighting

Merry trusts your judgement and certainly looks for your approval just like he does with Gandalf

(Also please show him magic he loves Gandalf’s fireworks and he wants to see what else magic can do since Gandalf doesn’t really show anyone that stuff)

“Can you make Boromir’s shield disappear, (Y/n)? Or perhaps make Legolas’ hair a different color?”

Pippin is like Merry on crack

He wants to know every little detail about everything but at the same time he is chewing your ear off

Honestly he’s probably telling you his life story too

He enjoys your company, like Merry he feels a lot more secure in this quest and he also comes to see you as a friend

Wants to see your magic, even if you just create sparks at your fingertips

Probably your number one fan

“Can I see your staff (Y/n)? I promise not to use it to singe Gandalf’s beard!”

Sam is very shy around you and is very protective of Frodo

Sure Gandalf trusts you, but you’ve only ever been a fable in the Shire

He knows nothing about you, what have you been doing this entire time?

He does warm up to you, though, once you prove to him that you are truly there to help them succeed

Learns a lot about herbs from you, whether they be for cooking or medicine

“Tell me about the Elves, (Y/n). You must know so much about them. Rivendell was so beautiful…”

Frodo is highly suspicious of you for quite a while

It is mostly because he is afraid of the Ring and its influence

He doesn’t know you like he knows Gandalf so it takes him a bit to trust you

Bilbo has only told him rumors of you

It isn’t until Gandalf dies that he really starts looking to you for guidance

He takes to you mostly at night when everyone is asleep because he is away from prying eyes

“This quest leads me to my death, doesn’t it witch? I do not know how to even begin to understand that…”

Overall you guys learn to bond and grow together throughout the quest

You have never been so happy to be around people despite the circumstances, and you start to understand why Gandalf has always been so involved with the people of Middle Earth

•

[tanoraqui]

key elements of Crownless (the Young Aragorn show that lives in my head and heart) season 1:

(Note that I will play a little fast and loose with timelines and for the sake of a better story. And/or take ruthless advantage of canonical slow Dúnedain aging to spread the timeline out over several decades)

First episode(s) is Aragorn (age 21, functionally late teens) leaving Rivendell to start wandering the wilds with the Rangers. I would do Elrond & his people dirty and say that Aragorn has been kinda sheltered growing up, a little because Elves tend to baby Men, especially young Men, and mostly because everyone wanted to be sure Isildur’s heir was safe as darkness grew in the world, especially after his father was killed when he was 2.

So Aragorn starts with significant book smarts, homely peace smarts—historical knowledge, animal friendship, herblore, diplomacy skills, technical sword/knife/bow skills…but he doesn’t know the dirty fighting tricks that win a fight. His tracking, hunting, forest stealth, etc. skills…suck at first. He’s prone to freeze in urgent healing (or combat) situations, because he’s never done this on his own before—though he has a natural talent for the ‘calling people back from death’ thing we see in LotR.

(This gives Aragorn obvious skills to pick up that demonstrate his character growth as a leader, while also establishing from the start that his real talent in kingship is, always was, diplomacy, strength of character & connection with his people, literal and metaphorical healing. Also, weirdass plans, often based on things he read, with success resting on luck/prayer/hope more than any reasonable thing…including a willingness to trust strange new and/or sketchy people…and they work.)

Maybe eps 1-2 is a double-length episode: opens with newly widowed Gilraen arriving in distress with a toddler 18 years ago, then first half is mostly restless late teen!Estel in Rivendell, ending with Elrond revealing his true name, broken sword, time to go forth… Smash cut to Aragorn tripping in the forest and falling in a stream while 2 other baby Rangers laugh at him and whoever’s stuck training these new recruits sighs heavily. There’s a lot of “this is the new Chieftain of the Dúnedain, Isildur’s heir?”

Format: 22ep 44min monster of the week (like GOD INTENDED) focused on the newest young Rangers: Aragorn, Halbarad, Dúnawen (OC: “maiden of the west”, don’t @ me for naming), as they range throughout Eriador learning how to be badasses guarding the boundaries of civilization. Monsters include orcs, wargs, mortal bandits, trolls, giant spiders, a small ice wyvern that made its way to northern Dale, barrow-wrights, unhoused fëa, rival clans of Men or maybe Dwarves who are about to go to blood feud war…

…and a slowly mounting season plot of the trouble of 3 Nazgúl reoccupying Dol Goldur, after the White Council forced the “Necromancer” out 15ish years ago. (Riling up ghosts throughout the countryside? Something something themes of moving on from the past. Also, can’t go wrong with an episode in which heroes must confront their literal personal ghosts.)

Repeat cameos from Elrohir & Elladan, cousins of all Mannish Dúnedain (and kind of older brothers to Aragorn in particular.) Are they helping him? Are they harder on him than on the other new recruits? Are they good cop/bad cop-ing it?

Arwen! Meet briefly ep1 and/or she’s a key feature of midseason finale; return in season finale to be badass. “Tinúviel! Tinúviel!” scene in Lothlórien casts a hiccup in a fledgling romance between Aragorn and Dúnawen

All combinations of Aragorn/Halbarad/Dunawen ARE welcome, nay, encouraged. They’re functionally in college and they’re all hot, and constantly in near-death situations. I advise the writers to have fun. Bisexuality is free.

Gandalf introduction early, ep2? Probably also in finale (something of a large team-up).

Late season bottle episode, maybe just before a 2-parter finale, in which due to a thunderstorm/mudslide/cave-in incident, Aragorn, Halbarad and Dunawen are trapped in a cave/small series of caves with a random assortment of other travelers on the road west of Bree: a pair of Dwarvish merchants, a few men, 1 elf (journeying to the Havens to Sail?), and 1 hobbit, Mr. Drogo Baggins of Hobbiton, who was making a perilous journey to Bree and back in order to fetch his beloved, very pregnant wife a particular kind of cheese she was craving. No loss of air threat, but they’re stuck. Obviously getting Drogo home is of utmost importance (and everyone else needs to get home safe, too). Tempers run high! Only once the Junior Rangers sort out their late-season interpersonal drama can Aragorn rise to the occasion and organize/mediate this microcosm of Middle Earth’s populace to dig their way out of this cave.

Aragorn is exceptionally good at facing down Nazgúl and their weaponized despair because he has—indeed, he is, by name!—hope. This show is about hope first and teamwork second, and looking badass in a beautiful landscape while Howard Shore music swells third.

[s2 in notes]

[ass-deep-in-demons]

Please don't think I'm trying to trick you into doing my homework for me, BUT... you obviously know Gondor/Men/Númenóreans much better than I do, so I come seeking headcanons and advice!

Your "Speaking Tongues" masterpiece is set in 3006, so you must have given thought to what Boromir's life was like in those years, when he was new as Captain and still in the fresh years of this 20s. Do you have any headcanons of his activities, duties, and military accomplishments in those days? Obviously there were already rising conflicts and troubles with Mordor going on, but how involved do you think Boromir was in them when he was younger? Were there any significant experiences that might have molded him?

You always seem very detailed and action oriented in your fics, so I see you as one of the best people to ask! 😊 I don't want to cause you to spoil your own fics, so please be as vague as you need to! Thank you in advance.

I ALWAYS HAVE TIME TO TALK ABOUT BOROMIR, so thank you for this ask :D

A lot of my headcanons about Boromir's upbringing have already been included in my works, but I can share a few details here :D

1. Adolescence. I headcanon that both Boromir and Faramir were knighted when they entered adulthood, and as such, had to first have been squires. In my AU, Boromir squired under his uncle the Prince of Dol Amroth, and so has formed a closer relationship with Imrahil and his family. Faramir was not afforded such honour, and istead squired in Pinnath Gaelin, where he met and befriended Lord Hirluin.

2. Courtship. It seems unrealistic to me that Boromir would remain unmarried for so long, with no efforts from the Steward to secure the line. He was an heir to a kingdom! And his dad was a control freak! So I headcanon that Boromir was previously engaged. To whom, and what became of her, would be too much of a spoiler :D

3. Titles & duties.

I based the hierarchy of Minas Tirith on the scarce information from the books and took some elements from Lord of the Rings Online.

Over the years, as the Steward gradually descended into a paranoia, Boromir was saddled with more and more official duties. At being knighted, he received the title of Captain of the White Tower (the Citadel) - in my headcanon a leader of the Steward's Knight Cavalry. This had been a title historically given to the Heir to the Throne of Gondor, and it was the title that Boromir used in the books during the introductions in Rivendell. This title also came with certain representative functions at the Steward's Court (which Boromir absolutely hated). It also granted Boromir a privileged seat in the Council of Gondor.

Later Boromir got appointed Captain-General (at the age of 28). This meant he became the leader of the five Captains of Minas Tirith, the Barons of Anorien, and the main coordinator of Gondor's armed forces. Faramir mentions this title of Boromir in Return of the King.

However, later, when Boromir was 33, he also became High Warden of the White Tower (the Burg). Again, Faramir mentions this as one of Boromir's titles in the books. I headcanon that this title gave Boromir jurisdiction over the Citadel Guard, which essentially made Boromir the chief of Minas Tirith Police.

Now that is A LOT of responsibility to saddle one person with, however, at that point Boromir was well used to working over his capacity. The reason the Steward did this was because he, forseeing the war with Mordor, wanted to consolidate power and strengthen the position of the Steward relative to the Council. By giving those titles to his son and heir, he gained advantave over the other great houses. He also did not want the control over the army and the city to go to any of the rival councillors.

(Poor Boromir needs years of therapy after dealing with all this.)

4. As for possible military campaigns and adventures, I sort of need to do further research on this myself. I try to build over canon and expand it wherever I can :D

Thank you for asking!!! I could talk about Boromir for hours! <3

[ellegamgee]

Lord of the Rings thoughts/ideas, based on a recent reread:

Book canon spoilers, I guess

-Canon: Boromir was the only one in the Fellowship who didn't have some connection to Bilbo.

(Credit to another tumblr post that pointed this out, as well as other ways that Boromir was unique in the Fellowship.)

-Canon: Bilbo tells part of his story in the Council of Elrond, and almost tries to tell practically The Literal Whole Hobbit Book, and probably would have if allowed. And also, volunteers to take the ring to Mordor. Which Boromir kinda laughs about before seeing that everyone else is taking this weird old halfling seriously.

-Fanfiction idea: Somewhere between Rivendell and Moria, one of the hobbits gets the idea to tell Boromir the story of Bilbo's adventures. Maybe after he asked, maybe just because they think that he should know the rest of the story, maybe just because they're bored.

Shenanigans ensue.

The hobbits quibble over details, even though they were all told the story directly from Bilbo.

Aragon mostly just spectates, with the occasional fact check, but checks out during any discussion of Gollum.

Legolas and Gimli bicker. So very, very much. Insults fly, including personal attacks on each other's father.

Through all this, Boromir gets little understanding of what actually happened. Mostly just confusion.

Oh, and of course, Gandalf is remarkably unhelpful, for the only person who was Actually There for the whole adventure.

And, in addition, in parallel:

-Canon: When Faramir sees Gollum for the first time, Frodo gives a very, very ClifNotes version of who/what Gollum is. Faramir expresses curiosity about this story and says that maybe someday, Frodo can tell him the rest of it.

Fanfiction idea: After the War is over and the Fellowship is (mostly) reunited, Frodo fulfills this wish of Faramir's and tells Bilbo's story. At first, he only thinks to tell Gollum's portion, but he eventually expands it to basically the whole Hobbit story. (Maybe telling of Bilbo reminds Frodo of the old hobbit who misses dearly. Maybe Frodo needs to tell another tale than his own. Maybe Frodo is missing home, longs for the "and back again" which he may never truly have.)

Faramir is fascinated by this Hobbit he's never met, gaining just a little bit of insight into how Frodo came to be how he is.

(Others in the city overhear this tale, or bits and pieces, and versions of this story, adapted and exaggerated, spread through Gondor well before a copy of The Red Book is brought there.)

The remaining members of the Fellowship join in the telling of the tale. But there is less disagreement, less bickering, less pain. Not totally void of it, to be sure. For that are still the same people, just changed. But, the telling is a bit easier this time.

Faramir, at least, gets a much better telling of the tale.

Gandalf is still, though, as usual, Remarkably Unhelpful in this regard.

[aspenrockymountainhigh]

Elrond was the half-elven son of Eärendil and Elwing, the father of Arwen, and the Lord of Rivendell who consistently fought against Sauron throughout the Second and Third Ages. He was the twin brother of Elros, who later became the first king of Númenor.

Elrond is one of the most prominent, and recognizable characters in the legendarium, appearing in The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales books.

He was critical to providing Thorin and Company with the information they needed to enter the Lonely Mountain, and the Council of Elrond brought about the creation of the Fellowship of the Ring, which ultimately resulted in the destruction of the One Ring and the final defeat of Sauron.

- Tevildo

[frodo-with-glasses]

Frodo with Glasses timeline

(A revised version of this post, now made to be more book-accurate)

For as long as anyone can remember, there’s always been a tendency for poor eyesight in the Baggins line.

By the time he adopts Frodo, Bilbo has been wearing eyeglasses for years, and it doesn't look like he'll stop needing them anytime soon. The family curse—or rather hereditary inconvenience—actually skips a generation with Drogo, and Frodo is lucky enough to inherit his father's improved eyesight.

Unfortunately, he doesn't protect the gift very well. Though he doesn't need glasses at his coming-of-age birthday at 33, a decade or so of studying and reading by candlelight turns him soundly nearsighted. He denies it until he can't deny it anymore, and then ignores it until he can't ignore it anymore, and after much teasing and cajoling from his friends (especially Merry Brandybuck) he finally capitulates and purchases his first pair of eyeglasses at age 45.

It's at age 50 that his world is turned upside down.

The cross-country trek to Crickhollow is haunted by Black Riders—and, one hot and humid morning, by rain. Rainwater turns Frodo’s glasses all wet and fogged and streaky, and he valiantly tries to keep them clean with his handkerchief, but with a stumble over a hidden root and a slip of the hand he drops his handkerchief in the wet leaves and ruins it. It's not even midday. Frodo, being a BabyTM, thinks to himself, “This is terrible. I can’t see. I’m walking blind in the rain and the forest, I’m hot, I'm wet, I’m tired, it can’t possibly get any worse than this.”

It does.

Frodo falls face-down, with his sword underneath him, at Weathertop, and his glasses receive a hairline fracture. Sam becomes their keeper, tucking them safely into his pocket, as Glorfindel hoists Frodo onto a horse and rushes him to Rivendell. When Frodo makes his stand at the Ford, his vision is blurred; not only by the nearsightedness, but by the Wraith-Sight turning the living world to shades of shadow. He collapses on the bank.

An hour or so later finds him in bed, pale and deathly still, tended under the careful watch of Elrond. Sam slips his glasses onto the bedside table.

By the day of the Council, the elves have replaced the broken lens. They have no need of corrective eyewear themselves, but they are master craftsmen at any trade when they put their minds to it; and the construction and maintenance of eyeglasses is actually a necessity now that Bilbo lives in Rivendell.

But on October 24th, when Frodo first wakes up, his glasses haven't yet been repaired. His health came first, of course; and there was little sense in fixing the little trinket when their owner might not survive to use them.

But he is awake, and he is alive. Frodo steps out of bed and looks at himself in the mirror, surprised to see how much weight he's lost and how much thinner and wiser he looks in the elves' green clothes. And then he turns, catching sight of his spectacles on the nightstand…and seeing that small crack, split right through the lens, makes his shoulder feel ice-cold and crackle with pain, and he shudders.

His glasses are broken far more severely in the fight in Moria. Knocked off his face and trampled underfoot, probably, or got under him somehow when the "hammer and anvil" skewered him. Either way, after Gandalf falls, Frodo and the rest of the Fellowship barely escape with their lives.

Just out of bowshot of the Gate, standing in the midst of the Dimril Dale, they stop to recover and to mourn. Frodo stands upon a ledge with the wind in his face, clutching to his chest his broken spectacles: one lens is crushed, and the nose-bridge is snapped in half.

Gimli repairs them for him during their stay in Lothlorien. Dwarves are known for their skill in masonry, of course, but someone as learned as Gimli is also skilled in glass-blowing, and after a little trial and error, he replicates the prescription right down to the smallest margin of error. It’s not quite the same—maybe it never will be—but it works well enough to keep going.

Still, Frodo wonders if he hadn’t lost half of himself, too, like the shards of glass lying somewhere in the dark of Moria.

In the shadow of Amon Hen, the Fellowship breaks. Sam is his only companion now. Somewhere in the maze of the Emyn Muil, one of the hinge screws begins to get loose. They’re stopped for their midday meal—and Sam is busy cobbling together their little lunch of lembas and a few wrinkled berries that he foraged from the banks of the River—when Frodo attempts to twist the screw back in with his fingernails and teeth. He fumbles it, and the screw drops right out and disappears into the gravel and the thin grass. He sighs, lamenting that he forgot to bring his repair kit from home in Bag End.

“Repair kit?” says Sam. “Well, bless me, Mr. Frodo, I’d almost forgotten!” He throws open his pack and buries his entire arm into it, all the way up to his shoulder and almost to his neck, rummaging around until he cries “ah-ha!” and drags himself to the surface.

In his hand, held high over his head, is a little brown case. It was one of the various small belongings of his master's that he'd packed in Rivendell, to bring them out in triumph when they were called for, in a moment just like this.

Frodo—overwhelmed with equal parts delight, relief, and annoyance—cries, “My dear Sam! You might have mentioned that earlier!”

“Slipped my mind, sir, begging your pardon,” Sam answers as Frodo takes it from him. “But we also had the help of elves and dwarves and other such folk who’d repair ‘em better than the both of us.” He has the good grace to look a little embarrassed, but still peacocking with pride on his foresight saving the day.

Frodo has opened the case on his knee and pulled out one of the little screwdrivers, but he looks up, and seeing the look on Sam’s face—desperately hoping for praise, but too polite to ask for it—he smiles.

“What would I ever do without you, Sam?”

Sam puffs up like a pleased rooster, and his smile widens until it nearly overtakes his face. Frodo can hardly hold himself back from laughing.

“Help me find that missing screw, won’t you? It fell into the grass somewhere around here.”

That instance ends happily, but their good luck doesn’t last forever. Frodo loses his handkerchief in the putrid bog of the Dead Marshes, and cannot wash the fingerprints of mud and filth off his lenses. Mordor grows—a distant, shapeless, black-grey blob on the edge of his vision, lit by fire.

It’s in Cirith Ungol that he loses his glasses for good. Somehow, they manage to stay on him in Shelob’s lair, though the hobbits scramble through the bones and filth and web-laced crevasses in the rock; but Sam is held up by Gollum, and Shelob poisons Frodo, and when the orcs find and strip him they take the glasses as a prize.

Far away, at the Black Gate, though he doesn’t know it until later, the Mouth of Sauron will present his trophies: a cloak, a staff, a mithril shirt, and a broken pair of glasses.

When Sam arrives to rescue Frodo from the Tower of Cirith Ungol, he doesn’t have his spectacles.

Only the Ring.

Frodo shambles through Mordor, basically blind, tripping over loose rocks and shale. The visions that swim before his eyes, taunting and just out of reach, are perhaps the effect of this cursed land, perhaps the illusion of his own failing vision…perhaps the trick of the Enemy in his mind.

All is a blur of exhaustion and starvation and acrid, furnace-dry, throat-burn air, until the bitter end.

The Ring is destroyed.

Frodo wakes up in Ithilien, his hand heavily bandaged. Within time, from the artisans of Gondor, he receives a new pair of glasses.

Those are the same he carries with him until the end of his life, when he boards the ship in the Grey Havens.

[checkoutmybookshelf]

Rereading The Fellowship of the Ring for the First Time in Fifteen Years

The more of this book I read, the less reasonable it seems to call this a reread. I definitely internalized almost nothing of this book the first time around. This time around though, we have fun things like Gandalf army crawling around Rivendell to troll Pippin, Boromir being the single person of the big folk to actually be practically concerned about the hobbits in the wild, and a personified and deeply pissed off mountain. So let's talk chapter three, "The Ring Goes South."

Literally the majority of the time we spend with the hobbits in Rivendell is in meetings. We JUST got out of the council meeting--which was a hell of an infodump chapter and frankly my head is STILL spinning over it--and now the hobbits are in Bilbo's room having their own little meeting. This is also kind of where I'm really starting to see the big folk totally disregard Merry and Frodo's relationship and lump Merry in with Pippin, because it's not even a QUESTION at first that Merry and Pippin will go along with Frodo and Sam. Which like...again...MERRY IS SOLIDLY 95% OF THE REASON THEY MADE IT OUT OF THE SHIRE AND TO BREE SAFELY. GIVE THE HOBBIT THE DAMN CREDIT HE DESERVES!!!

I can't say I'm not enjoying the Gandalf trolling Pippin dynamic, but it's wildly unfair to lump Merry into that, and frankly I cannot wait until our hobbit gets to Rohan and gets his own little adventure, because he deserves it.

In the meantime, however, all points to Sam for gently calling out that they'll "just wait long enough for winter to come" before leaving Rivendell to start their quest. I grew up in Alaska, and I am EXTREMELY with Sam on this one. A bigass quest in the winter is doable, if you're prepared and know how not to die of stupid or exposure or cold, but it is going to SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK.

I also deeply approve of Bilbo pinning the blame for THAT precisely where it belongs:

"That can't be helped," said Bilbo. "It's your fault partly, Frodo my lad: insisting on waiting for my birthday. A funny way of honoring it, I can't help thinking. Not the day I would have chosen for letting the S.-B.s into Bag End. But there it is: you can't wait now till spring; and you can't go till the reports come back."

The SHAAAAAAAAAAAAADE on Frodo giving Lobelia Sackville-Baggins Bag End on Bilbo's birthday there is amazing, and honestly this is an excellent point. That said though, it's also just a biiiiiiiiiiit harsh on Bilbo's part to blame Frodo for making a plan without full information. We do the best we can with the information we have at any given point, and I rather think that given his druthers--a a lack of Black Riders on the road--Frodo might have spent longer in Crickhollow and Bree, which could have meant that they would have been off on this trip in the spring. That would also have been entirely too late to do anything useful, but there you go.

We do just casually spend two months in Rivendell though, so it's literally the end of December before they get word that eight of the nine Black Riders were successfully de-horsed and de-cloaked by the rushing waters at the ford, which clears the party to officially form up and leave Rivendell.

I am not gonna lie, having largely grown up on the movies, I find it absofuckingloutely hilarious that Peter Jackson just kind of went, "Let's do 'I am Spartacus' during the council of Elrond to put the party together" and Elrond is basically like, "Nine companions...Cool beans!" And I have now discovered that the actual way this went down was a lot more "I am Elf Daddy, Hear Me Roar":

"And I will choose you companions to go with you, as far as they will or fortune allows. The number must be few, since your hope is speed and secrecy. [...] The Company of the Ring shall be Nine; and the Nine Walkers shall be set against the Nine Riders that are evil."

Ok, cool; they're an explicit parallel to the Black Riders. And thank you Tolkien for trying to subvert the dreaded movie title mention, even if Peter Jackson didn't take the hint and got cute with it (affectionately). I will say though, Elrond might have...ASKED FRODO if there was anyone in particular he wanted with him while he walked to hell. Like, this should have been a conversation, not a declaration. I grant, Frodo wouldn't have known all of what he'd need, but damn Elrond, way to not even bother to ASK.

Which is also why I am grateful Gandalf pipes up when Pippin insists that he and Merry are going. Because not only does Gandalf make up for the trolling a bit here, he also is willing to respect hobbits' desires more than LITERALLY ANYONE ELSE UP TO THIS POINT. Here's how this bit goes down:

"We don't want to be left behind. We want to go with Frodo." "That is because you do not understand and cannot imagine what lies ahead," said Elrond. "Neither does Frodo," said Gandalf, unexpectedly supporting Pippin. "Nor do any of us see clearly. It is true that if these hobbits understood the danger, they would not dare to go. But they would still wish to, or wish that they dared, and be shamed and unhappy. I think, Elrond. that in this matter it would be well to trust rather to their friendship than to great wisdom."

THEY ARE NOT CHILDREN JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE SHORT, ELROND. Frodo is like fully in his hobbit 30s, and everyone else is a legal hobbit adult. They get to make their own choices, even if your ass doesn't like them. And THANK YOU GANDALF for supporting hobbit agency at this time. Honest to christ, it's like big folk see small folk and go "child" and as a short woman (five foot one on a good day) this is deeply irritating to me. Height isn't some indicator of adulthood and intelligence. It's an indicator of HEIGHT.

And sure, even if the hobbits have no fucking clue what they're in for, that's not like...wildly unusual for newly adulted adults. We make all sorts of decisions in our early twenties (or have them made for us *glares in military drafts and student loans*) that we absolutely would not have made given more life experience. Like...welcome to adulthood, sit the fuck down Elrond.

Which he eventually does, we sort out the company roster, and everyone fucks off to go get kitted up.

Anduril just gets casually reforged so Aragorn can have a sword that is actually USEFUL on this leg of the trip. My favorite thing though? Absolutely has to be Bilbo's CASUAL DISREGARD FOR RIVENDELL'S ARCHITECURE:

"Here is your sword," he said. "But it was broken, you know. I took it to keep it safe but I've forgotten to ask if the smiths could mend it. No time now. So I thought, perhaps, you would care to have this, don't you know?" He took from the box a small sword in an old shabby leather scabbard. Then he drew it, and its polished and well-tended blade glittered suddenly, cold and bright. "This is Sting," he said, and thrust it with little effort deep into a wooden beam.

The absolute HELL I would have caught from literally everyone if I ever casually plunged a sword into someone else's house doesn't even bear thinking about. I also appreciate the casual hobbity disregard for Frodo's own sword. Like, it was broken, and Bilbo just...forgot to get it fixed? Part of me is like, "Well, he IS a hobbit," and the rest of me is like "THE FUCK YOU FORGOT, SIR. THIS IS A PLOY TO SET YOUR NEPHEW AND HEIR OFF WITH A SWORD YOU TRUST." Which is deeply relatable and honestly super adorably parental, especially since it is ABSOLUTELY Bilbo's fault that Frodo ended up in this position. (Yeah that might be harsh and it might ignore the Ring's own agency, but I stand by "magic rings shouldn't be passed down to unsuspecting nephews" thing.)

I do appreciate that Frodo gets Sting though, because that sword served Bilbo well in The Hobbit, and even I can appreciate the value of the inheritance that Sting brings to the quest in general and Bilbo in particular. Same with the Mithril shirt--although the word Mithril is not used in this chapter!!! Bilbo refers to it as dwarf-mail, and I would need to go back and look at The Hobbit to see if he knows it's Mithril there and I cannot currently be bothered.

What is really adorable is that Frodo takes one look at this thing--and its matching pearl and crystal belt--and goes "I should look - well, I don't think I should look right in it." And Bilbo AGREES!!! But it's darling, really, because he does the hobbitiest thing imaginable to get the protective gear on the nephew:

"Just what I said myself," said Bilbo. "But never mind about looks. You can wear it under your outer clothes. Come on! You must share this secret with me. Don't tell anybody else! But I should feel happier if I knew you were wearing it. I have a fancy it would turn even the knives of the Black Riders," he ended in a low voice.

The masterful parenting skills on display here. First, we validate the kid's feelings that yeah, it looks pretty stupid. But hey, nobody has to see, and it can be our cool little secret! And it would make me, your beloved, frail, old Uncle Bilbo feel better if you did. Do you WANT to get stabbed again? Because not wearing this is how you get stabbed again. This is literally just Bilbo running through the parenting manual at warp speed, and I kind of love it. Because ultimately, the Mithril goes on, and it will end up saving Frodo's ass.

Although admittedly it's not going to do much on Caradhras.

It then takes three and a half pages to get everyone out the goddamn gate, but a third of the way into this chapter, we do FINALLY get the fellowship setting forth. Before they can get out the door though, Elrond spends a weird amount of time going "EVERYONE IS A VOLUNTEER. THEY CAN LEAVE WHENEVER THEY WANT." It has very "Covering my ass to not get sued" vibes, and frankly while I appreciate the clarity--and yes, I get it, the choice to stay together is what makes the bonds strong more than some oath--CAN WE PLEASE GET THE HELL ON THE ROAD ALREADY???

It is getting toward January, so walking to the mountains is cold and windy and miserable but probably also deeply boring, so Tolkien kind of glosses over that until we get to the Misty Mountains and we get like fifteen names for each peak that I'm not spending time on because I don't care. The important thing is that we have to go up the Redhorn Gate on Caradhras and head for the Dimrill Dale, where we will descend the Dimrill Stair toward the Mirrormere and River Silverlode. Got it.

It does not take long for Aragorn to get anxious because the patterns of the land are disrupted, and I love that as per usual, when something important happens, it's Sam who is there. When the crebain pull their little flyover, it's Sam whose watch Aragorn shares, SAM who actually first sees the dark patch that heralds the spy birds, and Sam whose eyes we see them through. Sam is the keeper of knowledge for our hobbits, and I adore that this pattern is still standing strong, even if it means that these people can't stay secret or hidden for longer than a few days if their damn lives depend on it. Literally at no point have the forces of Mordor not known that the ring is moving, and they've generally had a rough sense of where it is too. Even Gandalf is over here going, "and I have no freaking clue how we're getting over the Redhorn Gate unseen, but we will burn that bridge when we get to it."

Unfortunately, by the time they actually do get to Caradhras, weather seems to be moving in, and Wizard Daddy and King of Gondor Daddy are fighting about the route and refusing to ask for directions:

"Winter deepens behind us, [...] the weather may prove a more deadly enemy than any. What do you think of your course now, Aragorn?" [...] "I think no good of our course from beginning to end, as you well know, Gandalf," answered Aragorn. [...] "But there is another way, and not by the pass of Caradhras: the dark and secret way that we have spoken of." "But let us not speak of it again! Not yet." [...] "We must decide before we go further," answered Gandalf.

But ultimately, they opt to go over the mountain, with Boromir super wisely piping up as the expert on traveling in deadly winter that hey, MAYBE THEY SHOULD BRING SOME FIREWOOD, because "it will not help us to keep so secret that we are frozen to death."

Like, Aragorn is a ranger, but he isn't used to these altitudes. Gandalf and Legolas aren't bothered by snow. Gimli is...a dwarf. But Boromir has probably seen people die in snow and cold, and I'd bet he knows that thanks to the weird thing where people who are smaller have higher surface-area-to-volume ratios and lose body heat faster. Boromir and Aragorn are big dudes, but the hobbits are literally child-sized. They're going to be in more danger from cold faster. So YEAH, bring the extra fire wood.

Oh, and hey, Gimli? THIS MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE MOMENT TO MENTION THAT CARADHRAS HATES ELVES AND WIZARDS. I PERHAPS WOULD NOT HAVE WAITED UNTIL YOU WERE EYEBALL DEEP IN AN UNNATURAL SNOWSTORM TO MENTION THIS.

Seriously, they get partway up this mountain, and Gandalf and Aragorn are still having a pissing contest about the route they're now actively on, Boromir is hypothesizing that Sauron is yeeting a blizzard at them, AND NOT A GODDAMN WORD FROM GIMLI until the next day when Boromir is hearing fell voices in the air and BIGASS STONES ARE FALLING ON THEIR HEADS. And even then, it's not the full explanation we'll get in another couple pages, it's:

"Caradhras was called the Cruel, and had an ill name," said Gimli, "long years gao, when rumour of Sauron had not been heard in these lands."

Like, sure, ok. It's a mean, grouchy mountain. BUT AGAIN, MAYBE WE COULD HAVE PICKED A DIFFERENT ROUTE IF WE KNEW IT SPECIFICALLY HATED ELVES AND WIZARDS.

This heralds probably the worst night that the company spends on this mountain. They have almost no cover, the snow nearly buries the hobbits, and had Boromir not been watching, they'd have fallen asleep and suffocated to death under snow or frozen to death. And it is SUPER clear that Gandalf doesn't understand how biology works, because in response to Boromir's "This will be the death of the halflings" (which, YEAH, no kidding!!!), Gandalf pulls out the Elven liquor. Specifically miruvor, or the cordial of Imladris, but that means jack to me at this point other than IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO KEEP THE HOBBITS ALIVE IN A MOUNTAIN BLIZZARD IN JANUARY.

Ultimately it's Boromir's foresight to bring some goddamn fuel and light a fire that keeps the hobbits alive, and frankly as someone who grew up where it could hit minus 50 Fahrenheit, Gandalf is no longer allowed to lead on mountains. If Boromir hadn't been there, they would have had four dead hobbits on their hands. Like, yes, eyes on the prize, but PERHAPS NOT AT THE EXPENSE OF THE LIFE OF THE RINGBEARER LESS THAN A MONTH INTO THE JOURNEY???

At this point, Gimli calls for, and is granted, a retreat, because the mountain is absolutely going to kill all their asses. Boromir again gets MEGA points for being the beefiest of beefy warrior men and breaking a trail to get everyone else down--WHILE CARRYING MERRY AND PIPPIN. Like, quite literally this bear of a man has one hobbit piggyback, one clinging to his front like a monkey, and STILL manages to keep clearing and widening the path for everyone behind him. And this goes on for like another day or two as they get off murder mountain.

Quite literally I am gonna need everyone to stop what they're doing and acknowledge that Boromir pulled everyone's asses out of the fire that Aragorn and Gandalf bickered them into. Like, I'm not gonna say this man was done completely dirty by the movie, because he gets little "protector of the hobbits' physical well-being" moments throughout, but HOLY TITS WAS THAT SCALED DOWN.

I think I'll leave it here, with Caradhras having quite handily handed the fellowship their asses, and Boromir being the only reason that the hobbits survived that little foray into mountain passes. Like, they gave it the old college try, and I'm sure that probably seemed like the least bad of all the shitty options for travel in front of them, but if anything was DESIGNED to murder the hobbits in their little hairy tracks, it was the angry, Elf and Wizard hating mountain that can yeet stones and whip up killer blizzards...

[winwin17]

For the people who like to argue that Faramir was meant to go to Rivendell and would've been better in the Fellowship because he was the one who had the dream, behold Boromir's own words at the Council of Elrond:

"For on the eve of the sudden assault a dream came to my brother in a troubled sleep; and afterwards a like dream came oft to him again, and once to me."

(The dream he speaks of being the dream that instructed them to go to Rivendell. So the instructions were not explicitly for Faramir specifically.)

[softboiledwonderland]

Thank you for tagging me in this @konartiste 😊 being very lame and doing it months after the fact <3

LOTR themed tag game! Reblog with your own answers and tag three or more people you want to get to know better!

- How old were you when you were first introduced to LOTR? I was nine when my mum took me to the cinema (I think I'd read and loved The Hobbit by then) to watch the movie. I did not like it at all! 😂 We didn't know what it was about and had no idea it was part one in a trilogy, which came as a nasty surprise after three hours of horrible movie lol. I loved the beginning, but like: the troll terrified me to my core and for a long time afterwards I was scared it would somehow come after me, Gandalf died, I thought Boromir had a suspicious face from the start and didn't mind that he died (cue 20+ years later and I'm writing the most important fic in my life so far about him) but his death was still traumatic, and I just wanted my comfort hobbits to get a happy ending and instead they were crying and resigning themselves to more misery. I didn't even watch the other two movies when they came out I was so disgusted with the whole thing lol. Read the books and watched the movies as an older teen and loved them all.

- Favourite LOTR character? Probably Aragorn, but also the hobbits (they're a unit). The entire Fellowship is so dear to me though. And Boromir is my blorbo.

- Books or Movies? Books! The movies are cool and all, but the books are where Tolkien is.

- Which location in Middle Earth would you want to visit? If I had to choose only one it'd probably be Rivendell, but also the Shire, the Old Forest, Rohan, Dol Amroth, Gondor... and the Great River, just because of my fic. <3

- Favourite Movie? Not sure, perhaps The Fellowship, ironically enough.

- Favourite scene? I'm so bad at remembering movie scenes! Maybe the Council of Elrond? There are so many amazing ones with such beautiful music so I'm not sure. Love Gandalf charging at the Nazgûl with Pippin in tow <3

- Favourite quote? “The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.”

- What Middle Earth race would you like to be? I'm usually a Hobbit in every online quiz, but it'd be fun to see what being an Elf is like.

- Favourite LOTR ship: This is going to sound weird because I'm writing a long, shippy, Canon Character/OC fic at the moment, but I'm not really into LOTR for the ships so I kind of don't have one? I adore Aragorn/Arwen and Faramir/Éowyn as much as the next person and Sam and Rosie are precious, but I'm not really fussed.

Going all out and tagging all the mutuals I THINK I saw reblogging LOTR at some point, if I'm wrong I'm sorry, if you already did this back when it was making the rounds please ignore it, if you want to ignore it anyway by all means feel free to do so, thank you and have a nice day <3 @dangerously-human @to-be-frank-i-dont-care @phoenixflames12 @ass-deep-in-demons @spifflocated @erathene

[saentorine]

Patriarch vs. Parent

I feel like the films and by extension much of the fandom overlook how Denethor is not only Boromir and Faramir’s father, but also their lord and commander. There is ongoing tension between the personal and political dimensions of their relationships, which honestly explains like 99% of what can feel “mean” about Denethor’s treatment of Faramir. Indeed, part of Denethor’s arc is recognizing his personal love for and reframing his role as father to his son just as Gandalf predicts: Your father loves you, Faramir, and will remember it ere the end.

Denethor is invoking the political dimension of their relationship when he bids Faramir return to defend Osgiliath: if there is a captain here who still has the courage to do his lord’s will. Even as their discussion references Boromir and their personal relationship, Faramir makes his points about conditions in the role of a captain and Denethor ultimately commands him as is his right as the highest point of authority. And the command is not even a necessarily bad one: Denethor is a ruler in a desperate position, seeming even more desperate by the information he’s gleaned from the palantir, and is using the best resources he has left to defend the realm. Even as Faramir begs his father to “think better of” him personally, he accepts his commander’s instructions as he must as a captain of Gondor’s military.

Denethor’s choice of Boromir for the journey to Rivendell was also more political than personal. In the books Denethor initially prefers Faramir for the assignment but is convinced to send Boromir, who by political measures is the better choice: his heir, the titled Captain-General, the more experienced of the two brothers. The council favors him. Even in his bitterness Faramir acknowledges that it was “the lord of the city” that made that choice-- Denethor as ruler, not father, even if the consequences are deeply personal for both of them.

In general, Denethor seems to lean more heavily into his role as his son’s ruler and commander-- something which we can easily imagine has colored the lifetime of their relationship: duty over desire, public service over personal warmth. In the patriarchal inherited power structure of Gondor, especially in wartime, Denethor’s primary concern with his sons would be their efficacy as an extension of his rule. Under the pressures of the Stewardship of a struggling realm, no shit he’s too burnt out to sustain a warm father-son relationship distinct from the political, especially by the time his children are grown-ass adults sharing this responsibility. However, he is more father than commander in a few notable moments, which become more significant over the short period of time we see him. Faramir in the books (and Mablung in the movies) states that death is the penalty for flouting the Steward’s orders to waylay travelers and apprehend those of political interest. However, when Faramir returns from Ithilien, even though he has done precisely what Denethor hoped to avoid by allowing a strategic resource to leave their domain, Denenthor doesn’t even mention capital punishment. He literally ignores the stated law as it pertains to his only surviving son. He does throw some sharp fatherly jabs-- Faramir’s persistent naivety about the harsh realities of ruling during wartime, his relationship with Gandalf, comparing him to Boromir, etc.-- because indeed, Denethor must be especially disappointed that his own son cannot be trusted to respect his laws and the chain of command. But he also affords him major grace considering the established consequences that would presumably be enforced for anyone else.

Denethor’s fatherly grief for Boromir is also what first starts to compromise his efficacy as Steward, along with his use of the palantir. Gandalf is critical when Denethor’s priority upon his arrival is to discuss his son’s final days with Pippin rather than the state of the ongoing war. (And here is a place the books and movies differ significantly: in the book Gandalf and Pippin see that Denethor has already called for aid from Rohan and has set his people to work repairing the Rammas Echor; it is only in the film that Gandalf accuses him of having “done nothing”). And we only see Denethor after this point, which seems to be why a lot of folks assume Denethor is paranoid and incompetent and always has been-- but both Faramir and Imrahil, close to Denethor, observe that he is not himself. The man has held shit down up until that point; Gondor has lasted as long as it has because of Denethor’s rule, not despite it.

And when Faramir is returned to Minas Tirith on death’s door, Denethor flips dramatically, withdrawing his attentions from the siege to focus entirely on the fate of his dying son. (And he truly believes he is dying!). He renounces his command and soundly rejects Gandalf’s entreaties that he return to the defense of the city as his role demands, and chooses instead a private death alongside the child he believes already doomed by the choices he made as Steward. (In addition to reasserting autonomy over Gondor and his own fate-- but that’s another post).

It doesn’t end well, and it certainly doesn’t afford any opportunity to live a renegotiated, repaired relationship, but Denethor does indeed remember it ere the end that he loves Faramir and is first and foremost his father.

[minecraftbookshelf]

How was little Jimmy taught was he a homeschooled kid and what did he learn about Rivendell when he was young and was the information biased since they where allied with the wither rose alliance it had to have been covered in the lessons because he would need to know about the other empires

so how did the knowledge he had about Rivendell affect his opinion of an arranged marriage

i mean he probably didn’t think an arranged marriage was weird his sister was in one and it a normal royal thing but did the fact that it was to a prince of Rivendell give him pause

With the disclaimer that I'm still in the process of sorting out the exact timeline so all dates/measures of years are tenative...

Wee little Jimmy had the best tutors that Lizzie and Joel's combined resources could find for the more "royalty oriented stuff" and he also attended an ocean kingdom preschool and elementary school for a bit before the delayed aging thing got too weird for it. (Lizzie wanted to at least make an attempt to get him properly socialized, Joel read so many parenting books and talked at her about them so they were both mildly obsessing over it). He also got a lot of stories from Pix whenever he visited.

So most of his education was homeschooling. In the sense that he was at home and the only student. A lot of his education was also just following Lizzie and sometimes Joel around as they went about their days and duties. Between the hands-on parenting and the length of his childhood he is honestly probably one of if not the most prepared rulers. (Not that he feels like it at all)

Rivendell was very isolationist and something of a mystery outside its own borders, with the exception of their only allies/outside contacts; House Blossom. This predated Jimmy's life span, as it had persisted for a few Elvish generations.

It was a huge shakeup when Xornoth took power, about ~50-75 years before the events of the main story, even before they opened Rivendell's borders. It tends to make the gossip circuits when an exiled prince returns home, kills their parents, takes over the ruling power, and functionally vanishes their younger sibling. Jimmy was in the equivilant of his late teens when that happened and the Cod Swamp was in the early stages of seperating from the Ocean Empire as an autonomous nation so he was kind of distracted. (Not because of any tensions with Lizzie or anything, there were just a lot of logistics happening and being discussed and he had just been appointed Codfather by the Cod Council and was very stressed about everything all the time)

The alliance between Rivendell and the WRA literally happened because Pearl looked at Xornoth and decided they were friend-shaped and dragged them along. So there is a degree of seperation there. It's also a matter of proximity. Rivendell is sandwiched between House Blossom's holdings and the Crystal Cliffs so those are the closest political alliances out of necessity as much as anything.

And yeah, an arranged marriage was hardly a shock in and of itself. Mostly its just kind of uncomfortable because of the tensions between Mythland and the Cod Swamp and the fact that if something goes wrong Rivendell is going to go from "a friend of my enemies" to potentially "my enemy".

And of course also the entire Ocean Alliance has been squinting at Xornoth for the past almost-century like "Are they imprisoning their brother? Is this something we should be concerned about?" Honestly the biggest surprise for all of them (Except Pix) was the confirmation that Scott was alive.

[incomingalbatross]

The fact that Tolkien is on record as saying that Faramir just walked out of the Ithilien woods and Tolkien did not know or plan for him prior to that is especially funny to me in light of Boromir's introduction.

Because I would imagine the writing process went like this:

Boromir, the Steward of Gondor's only son, is sent a vision telling him to go to Rivendell so that he can represent Gondor at the Council. Reasonable.

A whole book later, Faramir shows up. Turns out to be Boromir's younger brother. Is his own generally awesome self.

Much later, Tolkien goes back to the Council in the editing process and realizes, "Wait. Why would the higher powers ever send Boromir a vision to go to Rivendell when Faramir is right there?? They WOULDN'T. OBVIOUSLY."

Tolkien, presumably: "Hmmmmmmmph... All right. What if Faramir did get the dream first, several times, but Denethor simply refused to pay attention until the dream gave up and shifted to Boromir."

Which not only returns the plot to a plausible shape but is, in fact, distressingly in character, and adds another fun layer of tragedy to Boromir's death. Good editing! But it's also funny to look at that and realize that it was (I would guess) really just Tolkien writing himself out of a Faramir-created plot hole and turning it to good use.